Folded cartons supplied to the public typically have, on their outer surfaces, printed information—product usage instructions, warnings, indications, directions for use and other types of information. This printed information on the outside of the carton suffers from the limited surface area that can be provided on the outer surface of a carton which is inadequate in those situations where detailed instructions, federal, state or locally required information, or in the case of pharmaceuticals, patient directions for use, drug facts or other important information, must be provided. In these situations additional literature is often added to the inside of the carton by the manufacturer on their packaging line.
The typical carton and literature insertion process is as follows: Cartons are glued and folded by the folding carton manufacturer with the carton end flaps left unglued. They are shipped to the manufacturer of the product to be packaged, erected by this manufacturer, filled with the product and then the literature is placed into the package just before the carton end flaps are glued and closed. Arrangement of the literature inside the carton is important to the manufacturer filling the carton with product. The literature must be placed inside the carton in a position that allows for easy removal of the product and the literature. The current process of filling a carton with both literature and product is a complex packaging operation. During insertion of the literature and product into the carton they collide and interfere with each other causing line stoppages.
There are various methods for increasing copy space on or in a carton. One alternative is to include a loosely folded sheet of literature inside of the carton. This method can provide adequate information space. However, the literature is likely to be disposed of after opening of the package. Pharmaceutical packages in particular require that the important information be available to the patients when they take their medication.
In addition, this normally supplied literature inside the carton must be inserted into the package either by hand or by automated equipment in the carton filling production or packaging line during the manufacture of the product. This literature insertion step by the product manufacturer is a known cause of line downtime, increased waste and a loss of revenue. The literature insertion equipment is costly to install and maintain, and is often a limiting factor in productivity on a filling or packaging line.
Another known method for increasing copy space on or in a carton is to attach folded literature to the outside of the carton. This makes the literature susceptible to damage, accidental removal during handling and transport and detracts from the aesthetics of the outer carton.
Still another method is a carton with a fifth and/or sixth panel which wraps around the typical exterior of the carton providing additional information space. The disadvantages of a fifth/sixth panel carton include: higher material costs, limited space compared to folded literature, additional complexity for senior citizens, and they can be difficult to open for people with limited use of their hands such as the elderly or those with arthritis.
Another method would include the customer attaching literature to the inside of a carton on their filling and/or packaging lines. This is problematic since the literature attached to the inside of the carton, prior to the carton being filled with product, must be folded down to very small dimensions and is typically bulky and protrudes into the inside of the carton causing interference and making automated high speed product insertion difficult or impossible.
A primary objective of this invention is to provide a carton with attached literature that simplifies the step of enclosing the literature from the product manufacturer or packager. Another primary objective is to provide a carton with attached literature inside that allows the product manufacturer or packager to achieve high-speed, automated filling of products into the carton without the attached literature interfering with insertion of the product during the carton filling, closure and gluing process.
The invention describes methods of forming folding carton styles that protect literature attached by the carton manufacturer from interfering with the high speed automatic insertion of product into the folding carton.